Lost A Friend To Monsters
by assassinactual
Summary: Zombie apocalypse. Rachel and Quinn are left by themselves, guarding the group's hideout. Rated M for violence. Contains character death.


Rachel counted off her steps as she paced around the dingy front room of their latest hideout. One, two three, four, five steps past the coffee table. Another four took her past the chair where Quinn sat reassembling her rifle and into the hallway. She spun on her heel, briefly glancing out the gap in the boarded up front door before counting off another nine long strides back to the window at the far end of the room. She stopped at the window to survey the yard through a crack in the boards.

"Rach, just sit down. They're only ten minutes late. You know how Santana likes to be careful," Quinn said.

Rachel stepped back from the window. She followed her path through the room, this time stopping to drop her shotgun on the coffee table. She perched herself on its edge across from Quinn, her legs bouncing nervously.

"I just have a bad feeling like something's going to happen. I am –"

" – slightly psychic," Quinn finished for her. "I know." Quinn smiled at her. "You – " she abruptly cut off, whipping her head around to face the window, while slipping the magazine back into her rifle and slamming the bolt closed. "Rachel, get back."

Rachel followed Quinn's order without question, taking up a position against the back wall of the room. She covered the entrance to the hall with her shotgun, but her attention was split between the doorway and Quinn.

Quinn was looking out the same boarded up window Rachel had been at moments earlier. A sudden scratching sound followed by growling right outside the house caused Quinn to jump back. As she did, she tripped, but managed to catch herself. She came down hard on her right knee at the moment the boards over the window exploded inward.

Standing there framed by the splintered boards was the hunched over form a massive zombie. The right half of its face was mostly missing, and what was there looked chewed on. It was covered in blood, and as it paused to snarl at them, more spilled out of its mouth.

As Quinn had been falling, she had also brought her gun to her shoulder and took aim where she expected the intruder's head to appear. The zombie's brief pause allowed her to perfect her aim; just as it was about to jump into the room, she shot it right between the eyes.

Its head snapped back and a reddish spray was visible behind it. It's bloodied hands which had been gripping the window frame held the corpse in place until it was pushed forward into the house by another zombie.

Rachel swung her gun from doorway towards the window, finding Quinn almost directly in her line of fire. Rachel stood and moved to get a better shot at the undead creature, but Quinn was already acting.

She set aside the rifle, knowing chambering another round and taking aim would be too time consuming. With her left hand, she drew a knife almost as long as her forearm from its sheath on her belt. She flipped it so the blade pointed up, but kept it close to chest.

Quinn eyed her target, tensing the muscles in her arms and legs. She waited until the zombie was about to jump into the room, then she lunged. With her powerful legs, pushed even harder by adrenaline, she moved forwards and up, simultaneously thrusting the knife up at her target. As her arm extended, she braced her left hand with her right, driving her weapon upwards with the full force of her lunge.

The knife hit it's intended mark perfectly. The combined force of Quinn's attack and the zombie's movement towards her drove the blade up through the underside of its jaw and deep into whatever remained of its brain.

With the knife lodged firmly in place, Quinn kept her grip on it with her left hand. With her right, she grabbed the zombie's shoulder and pulled it inside, spinning to the side as she went so it landed on its knees facing away from her.

With a practiced move, she pressed her right arm into the zombie's head, then jerked the knife until she heard a crack and its still struggling arms went limp. She pushed it away from her, letting the second body fall on top of the first. Quinn looked over at Rachel, to check that she was unhurt.

Rachel's scream of 'Quinn!' reached her ears at the same instant she felt long, claw-like nails dig into her cheek. Moments later, teeth sank into her neck.

Quinn screamed in pain as she aimed a punch over her shoulder. She hit her attacker, dislodging it. An elbow pushed the zombie away, and she finished with a kick to the ribs that could have killed a normal human.

As it was, it sent the third zombie back into the wall where it collapsed to the floor. It began to rise almost immediately. Quinn wasted no time in drawing her revolver and snapping off two quick shots into the third zombie's head.

She checked that all the attackers were dead, then staggered over to the couch and sat down heavily. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and took several deep, ragged breaths, trying to ignore the red hot pain shooting through her neck.

Rachel stood frozen for a second, then rushed forward, inspecting Quinn's wound.

"Hang on Quinn, I'll get the med kit. If we can clean it out – "

"No." Quinn's voice was quiet. "I can feel it already."

Rachel stepped back, shaking her head. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "No. No, no this isn't happening. No. You can't – you can't be – you just can't. No, please."

Quinn grabbed Rachel's hands. "Rach, I'm sorry."

"No. No, you promised me, Quinn. You promised you wouldn't leave me."

"I know, but – " Quinn gasped in pain, and clawed at the bite mark on her neck. "We don't have long. Listen. Rach, listen to me." She waited for Rachel to reign in her crying somewhat before she continued. "You need to get them out of here. You and Santana. You're the only ones who can keep the rest of those idiots on track, so the two of you will have to get them to safety, okay?"

Rachel nodded, then shot forward and hugged Quinn tightly. The sat there like that for a few minutes before Quinn spoke. "Rach," she said. Rachel pulled back to look at her while she spoke. "I love you."

Quinn turned her head to kiss Rachel softly on the lips. Rachel pushed back into the kiss forcefully, only pulling back when Quinn gasped in pain once more.

"I love you," Rachel breathed out, resting her forehead against Quinn's. "Quinn, please."

Quinn shook her head.

"You should go now, Rach. You don't need to see this." She tried to push Rachel away, but only succeeded in getting her out of her lap. Rachel shifted to sit in the space beside Quinn and took Quinn's left hand. "Please. I don't want you to see this."

"We made a promise, Quinn. That we would stay together," Rachel choked out through her sobs. "I – I don't want you to be alone when – when – "

"Rachel, just go," Quinn ground out. She was clearly in pain, clenching and unclenching her fist.

"No. I promised I would stay with you, no matter – Quinn?"

Quinn's right arm was raised partway, and shaking as if she was fighting against some invisible force. Her thumb was tensed, trying unsuccessfully to pull back the hammer of her revolver.

"I can't do it." She let her arm drop back down into her lap, her grip on the gun loosening. "The infection, it's starting to take over. It – it won't let me do it. It's like it knows what I'm trying to do and I just can't."

Rachel stared at Quinn, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Rach. You have to do it for me."

Rachel shook her head.

"No. No, I can't, I can't I – "

"You can," Quinn said firmly. She took Rachel's hand, pulling her closer. "Please. I need you to do this for me."

"There has to be something else we can. I could – "

"There isn't. I don't have very long." She could see Rachel was about to protest again, so she cut her off. "Rachel. You love me, right?"

Rachel nodded while wiping away the tears that had begun to run down her face. When Quinn spoke her voice was quiet and calm. "Then you can understand that I want to die as myself? I don't want to turn into a mindless monster."

Rachel used their joined hands to pull herself closer to Quinn. She buried her face into Quinn's shoulder. "I don't want you to die," she sobbed.

"I know." Quinn brought her free hand up to stroke Rachel's hair. "I know." Rachel stayed there unmoving until Quinn felt another twinge of pain shoot out from the wound on her neck. She saw a brief flash of red, and had the momentary urge to sink her teeth into Rachel. "Rach. You need to do it."

Rachel pulled away from Quinn, quickly kissing her on the lips as she stood. Tears were streaming down her face.

"You remember where to shoot, right?" Quinn questioned as she picked up her revolver again, offering the grip to Rachel. "To make it – quick."

Rachel nodded while taking the gun. She stared at it for a long moment.

"Quinn, I –"

"It's okay, Rach," Quinn said soothingly. "You can do it. Do it for me, okay?"

Rachel's hands were shaking as she brought the gun up into position and cocked the hammer.

"I can't do this."

"Yes, you can. Remember when I took you out to my cousin's farm, before all this happened, and I taught you how to shoot?"

"Yes," Rachel said, choking back her sobs.

"Then you know what to do. Just squeeze the trigger."

"No, I can't – I can't kill you."

"You aren't killing me, Rachel," Quinn reassured. "I'm already going to go. You're just helping me do it on my own terms." Rachel's hands were still shaking. She almost let the gun fall from Quinn's neck. "I love you."

"I love you too, Quinn."

"Then do it."

Rachel took a deep breath, steadying herself. She checked her grip on the gun, then exhaled slowly as she squeezed the trigger.

It all happened in slow motion.

She heard the minute click of the hammer being released. Saw it sweep into place. Heard the slam of metal on metal, then moments later, the crack of the round in the chamber igniting. She saw the muzzle flash blossom against Quinn's neck, then saw her body slump forward.

When Santana's scouting party returned almost an hour later, they found Rachel seated on the couch beside Quinn, holding her now cold hand.


End file.
